Reporter David McCumber introduces us to three individuals whose lives forever changed because of asbestos exposure. There will be more of them if companies, like the ones just cited by OSHA, continue to violate asbestos regulations.

President Obama highlights the ways inadequate paid-leave and wage policies affect women workers; a California bill would hold companies liable for violations by the temporary labor firms they contract with; and OSHA proposes $2.3 million in fines against a company that exposed workers to asbestos and lead hazards.

Nurses’ demanding jobs often leave them injured, and nurses working injured increases the risk of medication mistakes; many farmworkers never report pesticide-related ailments; and the rate of uninsurance is high among federal firefighters.

by Elizabeth Grossman What’s being called the first-ever such criminal conviction, an Italian court has returned a guilty verdict against owners of Eternit, the Switzerland-based building materials company. Two weeks ago, W.R. Grace announced its bankruptcy case settlement for the residents of Libby, Montana where the company’s vermiculite plant exposed residents to deadly asbestos fibers…

The late Steve McQueen—the King of Cool—will be honored later this year by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) with its “Keep Me in Your Heart” memorial tribute award. McQueen starred in dozens of films including the The Great Escape (1963), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Bullitt (1968), and Papillon (1973). He died in November…

Liz and Celeste are on vacation, so we’re re-posting some content from our old site. By Celeste Monforton, originally posted 4/5/10 The painful and deadly toll that asbestos imposes on families across the globe is a public health problem of growing magnitude. In the U.S., individuals who are diagnosed today with asbestos-related disease may trace…